Oregon State
USC Upstate
OSU Falls to USC Upstate in Auburn Regional Opener
May 20, 2016 | Softball
AUBURN, Ala. – The Oregon State softball team outhit USC Upstate, but left 10 runners on base and allowed the Spartans a four-run seventh inning in a 5-2 setback at the Auburn Regional of the 2016 NCAA Tournament from Jane B. Moore Field on Friday
With Friday's result, Oregon State (30-19-1) will face Jacksonville State on Saturday in an elimination game at 2 p.m. PT (4 p.m. CT). Should the Beavers win, they will face the losing team from the 11:30 a.m. PT (1:30 p.m. CT) game between USC Upstate (43-13) and Auburn. That game will be played following the conclusion of the Beavers' 2 p.m. PT game on Saturday.
“There really is not a whole lot to say,” Oregon State head coach Laura Berg said. “We didn't come up with the key hits and left a small village on base. You're not going to win a ball game if you do that.”
Oregon State recorded 10 hits to the Spartans' nine. The Beavers were led offensively by first baseman Natalie Hampton, who finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Hampton is now up to 50 RBI for 2016, tying her own school single-season record set in 2013. Left fielder Lovie Lopez went 2-for-3 with her 14th double of the season, tying for the seventh-most doubles in a single-season in program history.
Oregon State also received a pair of strong performances from the top of the order. Shortstop McKenna Arriola recorded two runs scored, as she walked in her first at-bat, singled twice and reached on an error in her four plate appearances. Right fielder Shelby Weeks also tallied a pair of singles on 2-for-4 hitting.
Right-hander Meehra Nelson (16-9) was charged with the loss in a 6.2-inning, 147-pitch start. Nelson allowed the Spartans five runs on nine hits and four walks with three strikeouts. USC Upstate starter Lexi Shubert (10-5) went the distance, scattering 10 hits and a walk to hold the Beavers to two runs (one earned).
Both teams were kept off the board over the first two innings, but Oregon State struck first with the game's first run in the bottom of the third. The top of the order set the table for the scoring frame, as each of Arriola and Weeks led off with infield singles. Mikela Manewa moved them up with a sacrifice bunt, and Hampton drove in Arriola on a sacrifice fly to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead.
The two teams traded scoring opportunities in the fourth inning, as each of the Beavers and the Spartans loaded the bases. Neither team scored, with the final out of each frame coming on a groundout to second base. Oregon State had its chance to score with the bases loaded and one out, but a foul out and the aforementioned groundout stranded all three runners.
The Beavers' missed opportunity in the fourth inning proved to be crucial in the next frame, as the Spartans scored to tie the game at one run apiece. Leadoff batter Kori Wancheck reached on a single to left-center before scoring on an RBI double from Upstate's Megan Obier.
Upstate scored four runs in the decisive seventh inning. The Spartans walked, singled and the bunted their two baserunners over to set up the go-ahead run. A groundout to the circle recorded the second out, but the Spartans scored all four of their runs in back-to-back at-bats. The first two came in on a two-run double by Upstate's Karla Beasley, while the second pair of runs came in on a home run from Amy Szymanowski.
After Arriola and Weeks eached on an error and single, respectively, to open the bottom of the seventh inning, Hampton drove in the lead runner from second on a single to left. However, the next two Beavers were retired on a flyout and foul out and the game ended with a 5-2 score in favor of the Spartans.
For more information on the Oregon State softball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/OregonStateSB, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateSB or on Instagram at Instagram.com/OregonStateSB.
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